So…you want to make your own door hanger. Maybe you’ve been eyeing a cute template and have all the supplies at home, but there’s one thing stopping you…you’re not sure HOW to use a door hanger template!

No worries! I’ve got you covered. In this post, I’m going to show you how to do it, step-by-step, so you can create beautiful door hangers!

Door hanger template step 1: Gather your materials

Before we start, let’s make sure you have everything you need!

• Printed Template: This is your design blueprint! If you don’t have one yet, check out what we’ve got for you in our free template library! These templates are great for beginners and even come with video tutorials.
• Graphite Paper: You’ll need this to transfer your design onto the wood. You can usually find it at Hobby Lobby in the art section, where they keep all the drawing and sketching supplies. They’re also reusable for a few more uses, so take good care of them!
• Ballpoint Pen: Some people like pencils, but I prefer ballpoint pens for two reasons. One, pencils tend to rip the graphite paper. And two, the ballpoint pen is much more flexible, so you can get more accurate lines when tracing!
• Wood Blank: This is where you’ll trace your design! You can find the blank that matches your template in our shop here. 

Door hanger template step 2: Putting it all together

Now that everything is ready, it’s time to put your template together!

If your design is larger than a standard sheet of printer paper, don’t worry! You can use your regular printer at home. Just print out your template on multiple sheets of paper. Then, trim off the edges and tape them all together! 

Need a different size? No problem! You can easily resize your template by adjusting your printer settings. All you need to do is reduce the scale to fit your specific project, and you’re good to go.

Next, place your graphite paper on top of your wood blank, with your printed door hanger template on top of that. The graphite paper should be placed shiny side down! 

I also like to use a small piece of painter’s tape to keep the template in place as I trace. I don’t tape the entire thing, just one or two pieces at the top to keep it from sliding around. 

Door hanger template step 3: Tracing the design

Next, take your ballpoint pen and trace your template. The graphite paper will make an impression on the wood blank, showing you where to paint! That way, when it’s time to paint, you can see all the lines and will know what goes where. 

I also recommend doing one section at a time, starting at the top. This will make the tracing process a breeze and help you capture all those details, too!

Door hanger template step 4: Double-check your work

Once you’ve traced your design, gently lift your template and graphite paper to make sure you’ve got everything transferred onto your wood blank. I know it seems tedious, but it’s always better to double-check than to move on and realize you’ve missed a spot halfway through painting. 

Now you’re ready to paint!

Take your door hanger template skills even further!

And there you have it! Now you know how to use a door hanger template. 

Ready to dig into your next project? You can see all of our templates here.

Make sure you also download the Door Hangers For Beginners Mini Course (it’s FREE). 

This guide has everything you need to get started, and it is especially helpful if you’re a beginner. But even if you have some door-hanger experience, this guide will help you refine what you already know and make the process even easier!